bookstore; bookshop
书店
bookstore; bookshop
Bookstore or bookshop (书 book + 店 shop/store); counted with 家 (jiā). Say 去书店买书 (go to the bookstore to buy books).
Common Usage & Traps
- 去书店 — go to a bookstore
- 书店里 — inside the bookstore
- 一家书店 — a bookstore (using the shop counting word)
- 在书店买书 — buy books in a bookstore
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一个书店一家书店Stores and businesses usually take 家, not 个. 个 is not broken, but it sounds like you are counting generic objects.
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书店是很多书书店有很多书有 says what a place has. 是 says one thing is another, so 书店是很多书 sounds like 'the bookstore is many books'.
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去一个书店去书店For a general plan, Chinese drops the counting word. Add 一个 only when the number or a specific one matters.
Why do Chinese people say 一家书店, not 一个书店?
Use 家 for bookstores and shops; 个 sounds like you're counting generic blobs.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Counting a bookstore | 一家书店 | 一个书店 |
Why does 书店有好书 use 有, not 是?
有 means 'has/exists'; 是 means 'equals', so a bookstore has books.
“书店有好书,
饭店吃和住,
酒店没有酒。” (A bookstore has good books; a restaurant offers food and lodging; a hotel doesn't have wine.)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| A place has things | 书店有很多书 | 书店是很多书 |
Why do people just say 去书店 instead of 去一个书店?
Drop the counting word for generic places; use 一个 only when counting or pointing.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| General destination | 去书店 | 去一个书店 |
Featured in Story Deep Dive
Follow how this word unfolds across the narrative arc of this graded story.
Ever noticed how similar Chinese words can be? This rhyme plays with place names and homophones, from schools to hotels, even throwing in Samsung's origin. A lighthearted way to boost your word power.
- Scene #1
书店 有好书,饭店吃和住,酒店没有酒。
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